FAQs

Common questions regarding estate sales:

(FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions)

Should we throw away the clutter and garbage in the house before calling you?

Absolutely NOT! This is the biggest mistake people make when preparing to conduct a sale. Many people would consider certain items “junk”, but that junk may be a diamond in the rough or a treasure to a collector. Let us take care of the separating for you. This is part of our service. The best thing to do is leave the house as is.

Should we get rid of things that we know are of no value, such as old postcards, magazines, newspapers or cleaning supplies?

Again we cannot stress enough: do not discard these items! Vintage postcards, magazines and newspapers are highly sell-able items and should not be discarded. Cleaning supplies can also be sold at the sale. We try to sell everything at the sale. Items that do not sell can then be discarded or donated at the end of the sale.

Is it ok for us to take all the old clothes, towels, linens and sheets to goodwill?

While that is a common practice and charitable, these items are completely sell-able at the estate sale. Please refrain from discarding or donating these items prior to the sale.

Where do we begin?

Once you contact Devlin Estate Sales, we will talk with you a bit and get to know your situation and the type of estate we are dealing with. We can then setup a specific time to come out and meet you or your representative at the location.

What happens at the first meeting?

Once on site, we can assess and determine the feasibility of a sale. What this means is we will determine whether or not there are enough items in the residence and what the sell-ability of the merchandise is. This will allow us to then make a decision as to whether or not you should have an estate sale or if you should use alternate sources to liquidate the contents of the home.

What is your fee for coming to the house and assessing it for an estate sale?

Our consultation and meeting with you is free of charge. If we determine a sale is not warranted, we will recommend other alternatives and provide you guidance on who to contact.

Family members and myself would like to have some of the contents in the house. How should we handle this?

We ask that you or family members remove all items that you would like to keep prior to us coming out to assess the estate. This will allow us to conduct a thorough assessment of what the sale can bring.

Also we ask that you remove any personal paperwork from the residence, such as birth certificates, social security cards, drivers license, passports, military documents, bank statements, pay stubs, medical bills, etc. If you can’t do it, we will dispose of the items for you.

There are some items that we want to keep, but do not want to remove them from the house. How is this handled?

Any items that you would like to keep that will remain in the house should be moved and secured in a certain room or area of the house and marked as not for sale.

Do I need to rent tables, display cabinets or clothes racks?

No, we will bring in tables, display cases and clothing racks to display the merchandise. We take care of it all.

If the executor lives out of state, can we still have an estate sale and how?

Yes! We handle everything through email, faxing, and registered mail. Very easy process! If you’re working with a local realtor or with a lawyer, we can go through them as well. Remember we are a licensed and bonded company.

What payment methods do you accept during the sale?

We accept credit cards and cash.

Should the house be put up for sale before or after the estate sale?

We recommend listing the house before the sale. This is a great way to help sell the home. Hundreds of potential buyers will go through the home during the sale. We can even pass out fliers and take names and numbers of interested customers.

How much time do you need to set up for a sale?

There is no designated time frame, however to be efficient and thorough we like to have at least two weeks.

End of FAQs. To contact us with more questions, please see our Contact Us page!